Austrian

Foolproof Strudel Dough

November 11, 2021
4
7 Ratings
Photo by Ty Mecham. Food stylist: Kate Buckens. Prop stylist: Suzie Myers.
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • makes nearly 2 pounds (875 grams) dough
Author Notes

I have this incredible photograph of my great-grandmother that I love. In it, she wears an smocky sort of apron next to a a large table covered in cherry strudel. The thinly stretched dough almost isn’t noticeable under the dark cherries scattered over the surface. When my mom and I talked about it, she told me that she watched her grandma make strudel many times, but she was never able to get a full recipe.

I worked on this one for a long time after, and discovered that strudel is one of those impressive recipes that’s actually a lot easier than you think. It’s since become one of my favorite things to bake—and I think it’s a perfect baking project to tackle (especially with a friend or family member) this winter.

Mixing the dough for a long time creates an intense gluten structure that (after a nice, long rest) makes the stretching so fun, and less scary than it may seem. A tablecloth under the dough makes it easier to manipulate—and don’t worry about any tiny tears or holes that occur—they’ll get lost in the layers of it all when you finally roll the strudel up. If you’re able to, stretch the dough on a small table or kitchen island—it makes the process a lot easier if you can move all the way around the table, and use it for stability to get it as thin as possible. —Erin Jeanne McDowell

Test Kitchen Notes

Bake It Up a Notch is a column by Resident Baking BFF Erin Jeanne McDowell. Each month, she'll help take our baking game to the next level, teaching us all the need-to-know tips and techniques and pointing out all the mistakes to avoid along the way. —The Editors

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Foolproof Strudel Dough
Ingredients
  • 4 cups (480 grams) bread flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon (3 grams) fine sea salt
  • 1 1/4 cups (288 grams) warm water
  • 4 large (85 grams) egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
Directions
  1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix the flour and salt to combine, 10 seconds.
  2. In a large liquid measuring cup, whisk the water, egg yolks, oil, and vinegar to combine. Add this mixture to the mixer, and mix on low speed until the mixture starts to uniformly combine, about 1 minute.
  3. Continue to mix on low speed for 10 minutes. At this point, the dough should have formed a ball around the dough hook, and should appear relatively smooth. It should be slightly tacky (not sticky) but not dry—if it seems dry, add more water 1 tablespoon (15 grams) at a time, and mix for 1 minute before checking the consistency again.
  4. Raise the mixer speed to medium and continue to mix for 10 minutes more. Lightly oil a medium bowl, and place the dough inside. Turn the dough over a few times to coat it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The rested dough is then ready to be stretched and filled.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Rosalind Paaswell
    Rosalind Paaswell
  • Smaug
    Smaug
  • Veronika and Lola
    Veronika and Lola
  • Soly
    Soly
I always have three kinds of hot sauce in my purse. I have a soft spot for making people their favorite dessert, especially if it's wrapped in a pastry crust. My newest cookbook, Savory Baking, came out in Fall of 2022 - is full of recipes to translate a love of baking into recipes for breakfast, dinner, and everything in between!

5 Reviews

Veronika A. September 29, 2024
This didn't work for me. I just got a huge mess of a hole during stretching and it was so disappointing 😞
 
Soly May 8, 2023
Unfortunately the worst recipe ever, it's not working with me at all.. The math of ingredients isn't right,, I'm disappointed! But anyway thanks of the technique.
 
Baryonic M. January 25, 2022
This recipe is perfect! Absolutely love it - made it 4 times already.
 
Rosalind P. November 15, 2021
Honestly? If you guys don't stop with the absurd "prep time"s...10 minutes?? Making the dough. Mixing the dough (more than ten minutes already). Stretching the dough. Clearly at least 10 minutes. And making the filling. Filling and rolling. If you're unrealistic about this how can we believe it when you say something is easy. You get the point. Please fix it. Thanks
 
Smaug September 22, 2022
That is a bit strange; mixer time alone for the dough is min. 20 minutes. I don't think they ever include setup or cleanup time.